Former Auburn signee Jason Smith, now at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, is focused on keeping his grades up, returning to the football field next fall and, hopefully, re-signing with the Tigers next Winter.

Smith, who quarterbacked McGill-Toolen to a perfect regular season in 2012 and was the Press-Register Offensive Player of the Year, did not qualify academically for Auburn and ended up at MGCCC. The plan, Smith said, always called for him to sit out 2013 as a redshirt, play quarterback for MGCCC in 2014 and then go to Auburn in January 2015.

"Those are still my plans," he told AL.com in a phone interview this week. "Of course, it kind of depends on how Auburn feels about me. I'm sure with them playing for the BCS title, that will just increase interest from a lot of guys in them. But, yes, if they still want me, I'm Auburn all the way. I hope that is the way it happens."

Jason Smith was the Press-Register's Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 when he led McGill-Toolen to a perfect regular season. (AL.com file photo)

The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Smith threw for 1,566 yards and 19 touchdowns, while running for 867 yards and 14 touchdowns in McGill's spread offense as a senior. He led the Yellow Jackets to a 22-3 overall record in his last two seasons.

As a senior, the versatile Smith shifted to receiver in the Alabama-Mississippi High School All-Star and was named the MVP of his team's win. He said this week he hopes to have a shot at quarterback when he arrives at Auburn but would make the transition to another position if needed.

"I would like to have a chance to play quarterback," he said. "I feel like I've learned a lot in the last year. I feel like I've improved my throwing and my posture since high school. I'm a more confident player right now. But if I get there (to Auburn) and someone is better than me and beats me out, then I will be happy to play slot receiver or wherever I can help the team win."

Smith said he spent the fall lifting weights with the team, attending home games and working with his personal quarterbacks coach, Mobile-based QB Country founder David Morris.

"I think Jason reminds me in a lot of ways of Nick Marshall at Auburn right now," Morris said. "I think Marshall has a stronger arm, but Jason might have better arm control and is probably more accurate. He can really throw it. I went maybe two months without training him, then I trained him right before Christmas and his arm looked better than I have ever seen it. He's also as fast as anyone. He runs a 4.4 (in the 40-yard dash) or right at it."

Smith said failing to qualify out of McGill was a clear wake-up call for him.

"I was very disappointed," he said. "I cried when I found out. I had to pray and talk to God and just get refocused. I had to realize that I could work as hard as anyone on the football field, but it didn't matter if I didn't work in the classroom. I think it humbled me some. It was certainly a bump in the road. I will learn from it and get better."

Smith said he watched Auburn's SEC Championship season with great interest - and some natural regret.

"I was certainly happy for their success. It was exciting to see," Smith said. "I think if I had been there, I could have helped. Coach (Gus) Malzahn told me when I was being recruited that I wouldn't be standing on the side with him, that he wanted me in the game. I feel like I could have made a contribution, and I hate I wasn't able to. But I think that can and will still happen."